The Middle Age Crisis is Hitting a Younger Age Group That Includes the Likes of Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez

A study has revealed that those in their thirties and forties are the most miserable and unhappy than any other age group. It is due to the pressure of becoming successful at a younger age. This has put people worrying and stressing over their age doing so at a much younger time in their life than others in past decades.

This would mean stars such as Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, and Johnny Depp would be among those feeling the pressure of their age and its effect on their careers. Athletes are younger when achieving great fame and so those that would have been considered still quite young with vast experience like David Beckham are instead at an age of worry.

Politics is another arena where success is being seen at a younger level and pressure on others will be mounting for those that are in the same field. Ed Milliband, the new leader of the Labour Party is only 40. David Cameron was a mere 43 when he became Prime Minister.

The study was conducted last month by Relate and the broadband giant TalkTalk. More than 2,000 people participated in the study. Of those aged 35 to 44 one fifth reported feeling depressed or lonely. The group above age 65 only had 13 per cent reporting the same and yet that is the group that is usually considered the group to report more loneliness.

Many of the younger people felt they were too busy with work and felt they would have better relationships if they worked less. They blamed mobile phones and emails as a cause of working more making them more highly accessible and it was considered a source of stress in their relationships. An astonishingly 40 per cent in the 35 to 44 age group believed their partners had been unfaithful.

Cary Cooper, professor of occupational psychology at Lancaster University, was an advisor on the study. He commented on the results saying: “We did not go out to look at this younger group, but the research showed both men and women of this age are coming out the worst. They are the most lonely, striving in their career, working long hours, with little or no time to invest in relationships.

“I am not advocating some sort of French-style 35-hour week. We need to work hard, but we need to be smarter.

“Technology means many people can work more flexibly and more productively. This message has not got through to a lot of men yet.”

Claire Tyler, chief executive of Relate, said: “Traditionally, we associate the mid-life crisis with people in their late forties to fifties, but the report reveals that this period could be reaching people earlier than we would expect.

“And it’s no coincidence that we see people in this age group in the biggest numbers at Relate.

“It’s when life gets really hard – you’re starting a family, pressure at work can be immense and money worries can be crippling.

“The ensuing effects of relationship breakdown on society are huge, so it’s really important that this age group has access to appropriate and relevant support, be that through friends and family or other methods such as counseling.”

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